KARACHI: Irrespective of what form of music one believes in, Qawwali is something that continues to interest a diverse group of listeners even today. With its background intrinsically interwoven with Sufi forms and traditions that continue to evolve, it is a remembrance of God, said writer and poet Sarwat Mohiuddin.

At a programme held at the Oxford University Press bookshop on Monday, her talk revolved around the simple understanding of what connects people of different faiths to gawwall.

`Qawwals are not mystics they are musicians, and talented ones at that. They have mastered the art of reaching out to a large audience through one binding factor-emotions,` Ms Mohiuddin said.

Exploring the chronology of events that led to the origins of qawwali, she said that the music form found its roots during the era of 12th Century mystic and theologian Imam Ghazali. It was during this period that the term Sama was used for the first time. Remembrance of God, or zikr e khuda, is close-ly interlinked to how a qawwali was sung. `It was by repeating a qaul, a word or a phrase, like a chant, which led to people listening to it in a trance-like condition at a gathering thus creating a Sama.

But it was 49-year-old Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti, travelling all the way from Sistan and eventually settling in Ajmer, during the latter part of 12th century, who introduced the concept of Sama in the subcontinent.

At that time there were four orders of the Sufi tradition, such as Qadiriya, Suharwardiya, Naqshbandi and Chishtiya. Introducing the Chishti order initially from Lahore and then Ajmer, he ended up attracting a large group of disciples by `introducing rhythm during prayers`.

Out of a long list of his disciples from the Chishtiya order-for instance, Qutubuddin Bakhtiar Kaki, Daata Ganj Bakhsh, Nizamuddin Auliait was Ameer Khusro, disciple of Nizamuddin, who introduced the term qawwali.

Khusro, a mystic and poet, introduced four forms of qawali-Bhageshri, Sohni, Bahar and Basant. He introduced Persian and Turkishelements to the classical music at the time which is followed even today.

Speaking about introducing different ragas and styles into singing a qawwali, Ms Mohiuddin said: `So far, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan has made the biggest contribution to qawwali. He introduced Punjabi translations of Persian prose and poetry into qawwali for people to understand its essence.

As a result, even thosewho do not have the knowledge of the language get mesmerised by the music and the overall atmosphere at the gathering.

Basically from Jhalandhar, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan hailed from the family of gawwals. `During one of his performances, he mixed six different kalams of Sufi poet Bulleh Shah and presented it as one. It was blended together beautifully. The qawwali was sprinkled with Persian words thatwere easy to understand and remember,` she said as the audience quietly listened to her.

Ending her talk, she said that music-be it in any form-has to appeal to one`s emotions.

`The purpose of a qawwali is not to restrict but to liberate. Not to question the raga being used but to feel the way it is executed. It should make one go beyond the useless details, and focus on how it makes you feel.